Assembly (2007)

A soldier fights to gain recognition for comrades who died during the Chinese Civil War.

Director:

Xiaogang Feng

Writers:

Heng Liu, Jingyuan Yang (original novel)

Stars:

Hanyu Zhang, Chao Deng, Wenkang Yuan

29 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hanyu Zhang	...	Gu Zidi
Chao Deng	...	Zhao Erdou
Wenkang Yuan	...	Wang Jincun
Yan Tang	...	Sun Guiqin
Fan Liao	...	Jiao Dapeng
Baoqiang Wang	...	Jiang Maocai
Jun Hu	...	Liu Zeshui
Quan Ren	...	Political Officer
Ming Hu	...	Liangel
Naiwen Li	...	Lu Kuangou
Heng Fu	...	Luo Guangtian
Wu Hongwu	...	Gong Liangguo
Peng Ye	...	Lieutnant
Shaokang Zhao	...	Lao Ciwei
Chen Li	...	Secretary Liu

Storyline

War feasts upon death. Its greedy appetite carries away many a life on the battlefield, and soldiers must be ready to die at any time. Yet all these sacrifices can be given meaning and reason with honor. A weathered witness of war's insatiable appetite, Guzidi, Captain of the Ninth Company, will struggle his entire life to return honor to his forty six men and their self-sacrifice. The year 1948 witnessed the launching of the Huaihai Campaign during the Chinese Civil War. In one of Chinese history's deadliest battles, thousands from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Nationalist Army (KMT) fell in the battle that took place between Xuzhou and Bengdu. It was amid this bloody fight that Captain Guzidi led the Ninth Company infantry unit on a sniper mission. His orders were to fight the KMT Army until the retreat assembly call was sounded. Yet, after many long hours of painstaking resistance, Gu watched powerless as the ammunition ran out and the scant ranks of the Ninth Company ...

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Plot Keywords:

china | 1940s | 1950s | chinese civil war | communist party of china | 

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Taglines:

Every sacrifice deserves to be immortalized.

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Drama | History | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

A major box-office success in mainland China.

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Goofs

When Gu Zidi stands on the watchtower, his position changes between the highest and the second highest level of the watchtower. This is clearly visible since the highest level has no diagonal beams.

User Reviews

an excellent film bound up with the Chinese chivalry traditions

This is an excellent military blockbuster which might remind people of less its American counterpart Save Private Ryan than the traditions of the Chinese chivalry which lays a stress emphasis on "Name" or "Title".

Gu Zi Di(Millet Field), who is orphaned in a famine and named after the millet field where he was picked up,tried conscientiously every means to reclaim the credit of being martyrs( the holy death) for his 47 neglected dead comrades. Considering his growing background, one might find it easy to understand his obsession with the "Name", the importance of doing justice to the name and reputation of the dead rather than leaving the holy dead in obscurity. To put the figure in a historical perspective, he is actually an ideal reincarnation of the traditional Chinese knight who pursues the justice in disregard of the cumbersome secular hypocrisy and bureaucracy.

I think the film is aimed to re-appropriate the Chinese chivalry tradition in a modern military background to inject masculine heroism into the mercantile contemporary Chinese society where a vast number of people are lost in mercenariness,not ashamed of losing their name in idolization of money-ism.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

China Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

20 December 2007 (China)

Also Known As:

Assembly

Filming Locations:

China

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$34,786,960

Company Credits

Production Co:

China Film Co-Production Corporation, Huayi Brothers Media, MK Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1